Rail brush for electric cars



O. P. SMITH RAIL BRUSH FOR ELECTRIC CARS Aug. 2, 1928.

Filed Marchi?, '1927 Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

errno stares owen 1 sivrifrir, nnonasnn, Lerner MIAMnjrnoRinA, BYniiNivAHM. siuiifrrr,y

AnMNISTRATRrX, on MIAMLFLORIDA e e RAIL BRUSH non Ennornie CARS.

- Application led March 17, 1927. Serial No.` 176,222.

The present invention relates tomeans for j removing 'from the rails of a rail track `upon i which a cary being operated, ,any substance or material which may in any manner intertere with the tractionV of the wheels of such cai' upon the rails. fl

i.he accompanying` drawingsshow oneem` z bodiiuent ol: this invention as applied to cars operated upon a railtrack iwhere a third rail is located between thetraetionrails assliown,l

and operated by the movement of the car,

which will rotate brushes in Contact with ,the`

rail track and thereby remove from suchrails any substance, as. moisture, mud, clay, dust, or other material which may in any manner interi-ere with the traction ofthedrive wheels of such car upon such rails.

Another object is to provide means"y ati tached to and moving withv kand operatedby the movement ot the car, wherebyebruslfies` will be rotated in contact with the traction rails and in a direction the reverse of the direction of travel oi' such car, to remove any substance upon such rails tofprovidebetter n Y y the plate i3, asshowmand hold the boltsin a traction 'for the drive wheelsv oit' such car.

lilith the above and other objectson view, which will more particularly appear romvthe aecomirianying drawings andspeciications I have shown in the accompanying ldrawings one embodimentvo'li the invention asapplied` A toi-ail tracks'constructed tor use in dog racing amuseinents itbeing apparent that I do not confine myself to that specific construction, as the various parts Amaybe varied to meet other and different constructions `without departing 'from thespirit ofthe invenspecification, there; is shown the present `in-` vention asi employcd'in connection with the electric cai' used to carry the electric rabbit aroundthejrace course inthe greyhound dog .racing amusement tracks as invented bythe saidOwenl. Smith." In' the operation of theseltraclrs it isimpeiative that the electric andas a consequence, the tractionoi the drive wlieelsii'iust be` as nearly perfect as possible,

spond tothe power applied to the car may permit the dog/s` to overtake the rabbit and ruin the race. As a consequence anylsubstance or materialfupon the tractionrails' signed lto brush from thealail traekany such substance or material, and thus ,lend aid to the successful operation of the cars, andwith them the electric rabbit7 and the races?,4

rabbit` shall be kept in advanceotthe dogs,

5: Il "as a very slighttslipping, or 'failure `Vto' rey v which Causes the drivewheels to slip must be removed, andthe present invention is i de- To accomplishthjis result there is attached y to the electric oriot-her car. 1 by mean/sof a bracket asQthe horizontally disposed plate 3 which supports the y working vpartsA hereinatterdescribed. 1hrough`the plate 3' are bored a number kof holes 7,;7, and through these holes are passed special stud bolts 4,54, threaded at both ends, and having ashoulder at on each bolt to engagethe lower Vside vof substanti vertical position at rightangles to t-lieplate13.v lllieiboltsV are held rigidlyin saidplate by means ofthe nuts S, 8, threadi ed ontheupper endsfotethebolts t, et above the plate, as shown.

pass/loosely through `holesyG, 6 in the yplate 9 disposed 'parallel` toplate 3 with springs 10,10 disposed between saidplates, and surrounding the bolts,.as showin .Nuts Il, l1, are `,threaded.'fuponAthe lower ends of the bolts 4:, 4f., asshowli'i to compress the springs l0, 10 between the two plates, and tohold the lower plate-9 in the desired position relative to plate 2. v f To the lower side of the plate 9 are at- A the lower portionsoliifthe bolts l1 tached suitable bearing lugs l2, 12 and 13, `13

to provide suitablebearings for the shafts i los 14- and 15 to rotatetlierein. There are also attached to the lower side yofthe plate y9 bearing lugs 16, 16 to provide suitable bearings for the shaft 17 to rotate yin such bearings.A Midway between thelugs 1G, `16 and rmly attached to the shaft l7'is mounted the wheel or roller 18, adapted-'to rotate "with said shaft 17. This roller 18 `is preferablysfmade. of

libre, but may bemade of rubber, or any.,

the carpasses Iover switches, or 'siding's in f its operation..

While-,thepresent construction is shownother material suitable "forf'the purpose required. There is also firmly attached 4to said shaft 17 and preferablyjatfthe outer-eX- tremities thereof, the spur gears 19, 19 adapted to rotate with saidshaft. Atathefouter ends of the shafts 14 and 15-as shown are firmly attached suitable brushes Q8, 28', which brushes may be of anysufitable material, as

fibre, cane, bristle, steel wire orother materialsuited for thefpurpose used. At a-suity able portioniof the said shafts `111,' and'l, preferably at the innerfends thereof, `as shown, 'are `vattached gears 20, 20, positioned and adapted tomesh with the gears 19,'19

above described, ton the shaft'l. r21,121fi'ndicatethe two'traction "rails upon which the ycar is operated and between ythemfis show n the lthird rail 22 by :means of which electric 1 `current isv conducted to the operating the car.

felec'tri'c motor The operation of' the present in'xf'ention` is,Lk

asfoilllowsz'The electric ycar 1 is placed upon therails l21,'21, with ythe roller 18 resting upon the lthird rail 22," and the ibr'ushesQS, 23

in position to contact Vwitlrthe rails 21, 21

when rotated,y asv hereinafter idescribed. 'As pow-er is applied to the electric carand yits moves along the 'rails *ini the ti'sual rmanner, the-roller 18 isvrotated'by friction against the M1122, and nuttig-11 'the han 17, gearsY 19,,`19,'20, 420, shafts'14,'and 15, 5thebriishes k23,23 are reta'ted rapidly, and in a I directim thereverse of the directionoftravel lof the eledtric car, brushing the `r a` ls,ia1id cleaning .y them free of any substance as moisture,

' shown as adapted to a'rail track where the third rail yis located"betweenthe traction rails, it may be arranged in anyother suit# able manner.

"snow-frost, 'niud,fel ay, dust or other materialswhich may interfere with 'perfect trae- 7tion ofthe drive wheelsoftheear'.

llVhiile the present k invention has 'been The means ein compressionsprings 10, J10 disposed between thev plates, forms affcushioneffectfwllieh' holds the roller and brushesineontact with the rails by a spring pressure, and a pressurek whichyrea'dily adapts itself to any unevcnness ofthe ra1ls,and joints and Crossovers where 'I'have* shown gears as employed for trans-k.

mitting the ymotionv of the roller'shaft 1T to fthefbr'ush shafts 14. and 15, it will be apparent that any fothersuitable ymeans of transmitting l`such movement may be employed, without departing'from the spirit of thisinvention .Having-'thus described the present invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Lett'ers Patent, vis the following,` z-f A f1. Incombination with a rail earfor operation uponrails, spaced vtransversely disposed upper 'and lower plates on the forward end `of said/car,"'-theupper one ofasaid plates'beying stationary and the lower I'one bein-g movable, springs interposed between the upper and lower plates rand normally urging the lowerplate downwardly,.alpower shaftcarrie'd by .the 'movable plate, driven shafts car- Aried` by the sameplate `and :having means thereon foi'receiving power from the power i'shaft, brushes on the outerend of each driven shaft yieldingly engaging the rails, `and means for rotatingthepowershaft 2.` In combination 'with a rail car `forfoperation upon rails,-a horizontal plate onthe forward' end of the car having bolts depeuding-'tl'ierefrom-,' asecond'plate spaced from 'said ir-stlplate and loosely carried on said bolts, compression "springssurrounding said y*bolts*and normally urging the rplates away fromf each other, bearings in said second "plate, ineansfor rotatably mounting rail en- 'gagging brushes in said'bearings and means for rotatingtsald 'brushesl 1n adirection such tha't-itheir vlor'verportions move in thefsame Idirection.'asthatin which the car is travel- Intestnony whereof, I have hereunto affixed imysigfnature. 'Y

e e V "HANNAI-I MJSMITH, 

